The present invention relates to a method for interchanging messages and information during a telephone conference in a telecommunications system using a telephone network via which the telephone conference takes place.
The present invention further relates to a telecommunications system, which is set up for interchanging messages and information during a telephone conference, using a telephone network.
Telephone conference circuits represent a frequently offered service feature from network operators and form an important component of modern business life, particularly when the geographical distance between the call partners make a personal meeting difficult or impossible.
One implementation option for a telephone conference circuit is described, for example, in IBM “Technical Disclosure Bulletin 77C 01761”.
As is known, it is impossible during telephone conferences for the subscribers to interchange additional message or information material; for example, pictures or videos.
Although voice and picture data can be transmitted during video conferences, all the subscribers need to have special telecommunications devices which are set up for a video conference. However, the procurement of such telecommunications devices is associated with very high costs. Furthermore, the known video conference systems do not yet have the same characteristics as a telephone conference circuit in terms of transmission quality and connection stability.
A method for transmitting pictures via fax during a telephone conference has been known from IBM “Technical Disclosure Bulletin 95A 61562”. However, this method has the major disadvantage that it is impossible to interchange video data, and the subscribers cannot “chat” to one another.
With regard to the expressions “chatting” and “chatrooms”, reference should be made, for example, to U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,761, in which a “chatroom system” in a computer network is described. In this context, U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,830 has also become known which describes a method for connection to program-specific “chatrooms”.
An object of the present invention is, thus, to provide a simple and cost-effective way to allow additional messages and information material to be interchanged between subscribers to a telephone conference in a simple manner during that telephone conference.